The Day the Doctor Couldn't Save Her
by reddwarfaddict
Summary: Jackie Tyler has the worst day of her life when the Doctor arrives at the flat, carrying the limp body of Rose with murderous creatures on their tail. [Major Whump: Ten, Rose]


**A/N: **This isn't a comeback! I was experiencing drought so I wrote a little oneshot. It's quite dark, lots of whump and a bit of a Jackie introspection. I wanted to challenge myself with "what does Jackie do?". Whether I pulled it off or not is a different story.

Whoops, meant to write TenWhump in the summary. My bad!

* * *

The Day the Doctor Couldn't Save Her

"JACKIE!"

The scream tore through the quietness of an average Sunday afternoon at 48 Bucknall House like a bomb exploding right next to Jackie Tyler's ear. The incredibly loud, powerful and _desperate_ scream of a man from right outside her door accompanied with persistent bangs of a fist on wood was so loud, disturbing and wholly unexpected that she nearly jumped out of her chair, having to take a few seconds to register what exactly the noise had been and what she was going to do about it.

"JACKIE!" the scream came again, and this time Jackie knew who that was. It was the Doctor. Panicking like she'd never heard him panic before.

As soon as the name shot across her head, she slammed her laptop closed and bolted to the door in the blink of an eye, running to the door so fast she nearly went head-first into it. She unhooked the latch, pulled it open, and froze.

There the Doctor was, standing there covered in blood, holding the limp and blood-stained form of her only daughter.

"Jackie, help me, please help me!" the Doctor begged, absolutely desperate.

Jackie opened her mouth, but utterly no words came out as suddenly her own blood was frozen like ice inside her.

"Let me in!" the Doctor urged, looking around him as though looking for something watching him. "They might come back!"

That spurred Jackie into action, stepping aside before slamming the door shut behind him and putting both of her locks to good use. She followed him at a jog into the sitting room where he laid Rose down on the sofa and knelt down next to her. Jackie could barely see her face through the amount of blood caked all over her...

"What _happened?" _she finally managed, her voiced barely audible.

"Forget that!" the Doctor shouted. "Have you got a medical kit!?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Get it!"

Far too shocked to do anything but obey him, Jackie dashed out into the kitchen to one of the cupboards, pulling it open so hard the door nearly came off. She grabbed the plastic tub that served as a First Aid box and ran with it back into the living room.

He took it, yanked it open and tipped it upside-down so the contents spilled onto the floor. Some wipes, half a box of plasters and a pair of scissors.

"Where's the rest of it!?" he implored.

She completely ignored him as suddenly she was looking at her daughter again, the girl's blood now staining the sofa as it gently seeped into the fabric. Finally something clicked in Jackie's head as an appropriate course of action and she immediately dived for the phone. "I'm callin' an ambulance!"

"No!" the Doctor said quickly. "Hang up!"

"Whaddya _mean _hang up!?" she yelled, the shock beginning to wear off. "She needs to go to a hospital!"

"We can't!" the Doctor snapped back.

"Shut the hell up!" Jackie shrieked, dialling the number.

"Hang up the phone!" the Doctor demanded.

"No!" Jackie screamed back.

_"Emergency, which service do you require? Fire, Police or Ambulance?"_

"I need an amb…"

The Doctor suddenly stood up, looking directly at Jackie with a dark look in his eyes that made Jackie absolutely freeze on the spot. He pulled out his blue pen thingy and pointed it straight at the phone holder. It sparked, and suddenly all Jackie could hear was a dead tone in her ear as the phoneline broke.

"What the _hell _did you do that for!?" Jackie shrieked, and on impulse threw the phone straight at his head. It missed, hitting the wall behind him instead before it toppled to the floor.

"I need your help!" he insisted. "She'll die unless we can save her!"

Jackie's state of emotion fell off the end of 'shocked' and fell neatly into utter numbness. She could do nothing but watch, wide-eyed and terrified as the Doctor began to cut through Rose's shirt with the scissors. The more she looked at her beautiful daughter, the more she found – she was coated in bruises, her leg was clearly broken and there were _massive_ lacerations and cuts to her torso and around her neck - deep and pronounced - rake marks, like sharp claws...

"Doctor! She's gonna_ die!"_

"No, she's not, she's not, she's _not _okay!?" the Doctor shouted out, as if desperately trying to convince himself as he pressed his own bloody jacket to Rose's chest wounds.

Jackie suddenly found herself striding forward, all of her anger and panic and shock culminating into one messy whole as impulsively and seemingly without any commitment on her part she kicked him hard in the side. He was sent sprawling to the floor, crying out.

"Lemme call an ambulance!" she screamed, diving onto him and grabbing his lapels. "She's gonna _die!_"

"Ja-"

"Fix my phone or_ I_ _swear you're dead!"_

"Jackie!"

"FIX IT!" she demanded.

"Jackie, listen to me!" the Doctor implored.

"Listen to _you!?" _she shouted, hearing herself laughing insanely. "You've _killed _her!"

"Jackie, please…!" he begged. "I need a needle and thread, towels and some sterilisation fluid."

"We need an ambulance!"

"Jackie!" the Doctor barked as he looked up at her desperately, his voice lowering. "Please, please trust me. They might come back, and the hospital will ask too many questions, they won't be able to protect her. I can."

"Cos you've done a _bloody _good job so far!" she snapped.

"Please," he persisted. "Please trust me. I know I've messed up but I can fix this. Please."

Jackie stopped shouting, and forced herself to take a few deep breaths.

"What do you want me to do?" she ended up croaking, getting up.

"Needle and thread, towels, sterilisation fluid," he repeated, also getting up and turning his attentions back to Rose.

"Sterilisation fluid?" Jackie repeated, confused.

"Vinegar. Alcohol. Anything."

Jackie nodded and ran like the wind, gathering what he'd asked for. By the time she got back, the Doctor was cradling Rose's face, talking to her, though Jackie couldn't make out the words.

She interrupted by giving him the needle and thread, a bottle of white vinegar and some towels.

"Use the towel, apply pressure to her chest where she's bleeding," the Doctor ordered as he undid the cap on the vinegar. She obeyed, the numb feeling returning as she gazed at Rose. She used her free hand to brush back the stray hair from her daughter's closed eyes.

Then the Doctor began to work as Jackie watched, fixated. He stitched up the worst of the cuts and cleaned them, reset Rose's leg and finally, together, they redressed her into her pyjamas, fully cleaned her up and carried her to bed. She still hadn't woken up.

The Doctor finally fetched them both a cup of tea and some biscuits before they brought in some chairs from the kitchen to sit next to her bed. Not that either of them wanted to eat. Then they just sat there, in silence, staring at Rose's sleeping form.

"... What happened?" Jackie finally croaked.

He took another tentatively sip at his tea, then set the mug down.

"We were at Kew Gardens."

Jackie found that surprising, but didn't comment. "Then what?"

"Rose ran off suddenly, I didn't know why, I chased her but I lost her in the crowd. When I found her she…" He paused, swallowing. "... Some Raxians were there. They grabbed me and started attacking her, they thought we'd killed their Queen. I stopped them, but she was beaten so badly. The Tardis was too far away. I had to come here, I didn't have time to reach her. I'm sorry."

"But why did Rose run off?" Jackie croaked.

"I think she must've seen them. She didn't even tell me. She just ran. If I could've…"

He stopped again. This time he didn't carry on.

"You bastard," Jackie suddenly grated, low and dangerous.

"I know," he muttered.

"You let her get hurt."

"I know."

"You let them beat her, these aliens, this is your fault!"

"I know."

"You and your bloody spaceship, always swannin' around nearly gettin' 'er killed, but this time she nearly _was!"_

"I know."

"You promised me, Doctor!" she shouted, standing up. "You promised me she'd be okay with you!"

"I know."

"Stop _bloody _sayin' I know!" she snapped.

"I…" he began, but then trailed off into nothing.

She fumed. "Got nothin' to say!?"

Silence.

"Not even gonna defend yourself!?" she shouted, pointing an accusatory finger.

Silence.

"Get out."

The Doctor looked up at her. "No," he said firmly.

"Get the _hell _outta this room!" Jackie yelled.

"I'm not leaving her."

"You don't get out this room I'll throw ya out the bloody window!" Jackie shouted, infuriated.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "I'm staying," he grated, so low and dangerous Jackie quietened, quite scared.

He looked back at Rose, took her hand, and it was clear the conversation was over.

But she wanted him dead.

* * *

No one spoke for hours.

The first breaking of the silence was at 11pm, when suddenly Rose made a noise. Both the Doctor and Jackie were up immediately to lean over her, waiting for her to come to.

Her eyes opened, and focused on them both.

"Mum?" she croaked. "Doctor?"

Jackie immediately burst into tears. "Oh my god you're okay…"

Rose made to move but suddenly screamed out in pain, grabbing for the Doctor's arm. She clung onto it in a death grip, panting with her eyes bulging.

"It h-hurts," she whined.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any painkillers to give you," the Doctor told her solemnly. Tears poured down her face before he carefully hugged her, his hand tangled inside her hair. "I'm sorry," he said again. "I'm sorry."

When he pulled back she offered a weak smile. "My f-fault," she whispered, as if speaking any louder would aggravate the pain.

"I shouldn't have let you run off," the Doctor insisted. Jackie was surprised to see his eyes were welling up. "I… should've stopped them."

"I r-ran off," Rose whispered, gazing at him. She lifted a hand to his face, caressing his cheek. "It's… okay. Don't cry. T-Time Lords d-don't… cry."

He let go a short burst of laughter at that through trying to prevent his tears, but it only served to somehow propel them out of his eyes. "Rose…"

"It's ok-kay," she repeated. "I'm okay."

Jackie watched, mesmerised by the sight. She was about to interrupt, when suddenly there was a bang from outside the room. Everyone looked up sharply.

"What was that!?" Jackie cried.

"Someone's trying to get in the front door," the Doctor replied, wiping at his nose and straightening up, a hand on his chest.

"It's them," Rose realised, her eyes widening. "D-Doctor, they've c-come back."

"They're gonna kill us, ain't they!?" Jackie realised, her heart suddenly threatening to burst out of her chest.

"No," the Doctor said firmly, gazing at the door before looking back to them both. "After I go out barricade the door."

"No!" Rose suddenly cried, but that caused her to stiffen and cry out in pain.

The Doctor quickly looked at Jackie. "Barricade the door," he repeated to her. "Okay?"

"No, mum, they're g-gonna kill h-him!" Rose cried out desperately.

_Bang! Bang!_

"They're gonna break through!" Jackie realised.

"I'm sorry. Look after yourself, and stay quiet," he said to Rose, and without another word he opened the door and slammed it shut behind him.

"Doctor!" Rose cried desperately. "N-no, Mum, st-stop it!"

Jackie was already pulling across the chest of drawers. "He said to barricade the door!"

"He's g-gonna _die!" _Rose howled, obviously trying to get up.

"Don't move, sweetheart!" Jackie begged her, sliding the chest of drawers into place.

"They're _m-murderers! _Mum, we can't l-leave him, we c-can't…"

The sound of the front door bursting open sounded, cutting Rose off.

"Wait a minute, let's talk…" the Doctor said, his voice muffled through the wall.

There was a weird alien hissing reply.

"I can help you."

_Hiss!_

"All right, I admit it. I killed your Queen. Me. I poisoned her. All me, no one else, it's me you want."

_Hiss!_

"So you caught me, took you long enough. Get it over with and go back to your Queenless planet."

_Hiss!_

The Doctor suddenly cried out in agony. Jackie had to clamp her hand over her daughter's mouth to stop her from screaming out. Then all she could feel was Rose's ejected breaths on her palm, rapid and terrified. After a few moments footsteps walked away, until, silence.

"Mum!" Rose finally cried, wrenching her mother's hand from her mouth. "The Doctor!"

Jackie had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, like she already knew what state she'd find the Doctor in. But she had to look. She pushed away the drawers, opened the door, looked cautiously for any threat before stepping out.

There the Doctor was. Lying on the floor awkwardly, his hand on his chest right where a single human heart would sit, dark blood seeping out from between his fingers. He looked… dead.

"Doctor?" she croaked.

He didn't reply.

She dropped to check his pulse. Yes, it was there... It was extremely fast, but was that because of his two hearts? She turned him over, his head lolling with the push. His hand fell limply off his chest and, after a few moments of convincing herself, she shakily unbuttoned his bloody shirt to reveal a deep, penetrating wound in the middle of his torso.

"Mum!"

She looked back at the bedroom. "He's alive!" she shouted back. "But they stabbed 'im!"

"Help h-him!"

Jackie took hold of beneath his armpits and dragged him across the floor into the bedroom. The moment Rose saw him she was panicking.

"Oh my g-god, _do _s-somethin', Mum!"

For a moment Jackie just stood there, paralysed. His breath was starting to wheeze out, he sounded like he was choking. She got off the remainder of his shirt until she was just standing there, staring at him lying awkwardly on the floor.

Now he looked so incredibly mortal. So vulnerable. The bare skin of his chest, the chest that looked shockingly normal and human coated in a layer of blood was so incredibly humbling. The 900-year-old alien who had taken it upon himself to be Earth's protector, her daughter's protector and her daughter's best friend was suddenly no better than she. He was a million miles away from the imposing strange alien that she had come to regard in his previous form. She'd seen his vulnerabilities at Christmas, but not like this. Never like this.

Only a few moments ago she'd wanted him dead for letting her daughter get so badly hurt. Now he might be about to die, it suddenly wasn't satisfying and the horror of what she had wished on him fully registered in her head. He'd tried to protect Rose, but Rose had run off. He'd even fought Jackie herself to be able to treat Rose. He'd been the one Rose had latched onto when she'd woken up. He'd just sacrificed himself to save them. And now she could hear her daughter crying… heartbroken.

But…

"I dunno what to do!" she whined.

"Mum, _please!" _Rose begged.

Jackie Tyler wasn't good in high stress situations, and this was the eclipse of stressful situations. As she stood there staring at him his breath was becoming more raspy, crackling as it hissed between his lips.

"What do I do!?" But as if the guiding spirit of the Doctor was with her, she made a decision. She ran out of the room, back to grab the needle, thread, vinegar and a towel. She ran back into the bedroom and knelt down next to him, pressing the towel to the wound just as he had done for Rose hours earlier. It stained with blood almost immediately but she held firm for a good few minutes, until it looked like it had stopped bleeding.

Then, just as she'd seen the Doctor do, she sterilised the needle in the vinegar, threaded the needle, and began to sew. She had no idea if this was right. She was no medic but she'd seen enough episodes of Holby City to know if he was breathing like that there was something wrong with his lungs. But she had no idea what else to do.

As though she were darning her jeans she sewed up the wound, before cleaning the excess blood with some wet wipes. It was all she could do not to hyperventilate and faint. Rose needed her to do this. The Doctor needed her to do this, or he would die and regenerate and putting Rose through that again after what had happened last time wasn't fair, not on Rose, not on the Doctor, not on herself.

When she was done she picked him up the best she could and lifted him onto the bed beside Rose. She was immediately all over him as he lay there, supine and wheezing.

"It's his l-lungs," Rose realised. "He c-can't breathe…"

"I dunno what else to do," Jackie admitted, staring at the Doctor, hardly able to believe what she had just done.

"Y-you did g-good, Mum," Rose told her, resting a hand on the Doctor's cheek.

Jackie just nodded. She felt too sick to say anything else.

* * *

Jackie was there when the Doctor woke up. He groaned and opened his eyes, still wheezing for breath before they fixed on Jackie.

"Jackie," he rasped.

Jackie swallowed nervously. Those deep brown eyes were clouded full of pain.

"Doctor," she croaked.

He looked to his right, to Rose fast asleep beside him. Then he looked down at his chest where the wound was, noticing the stitching.

"D-did y-you…?"

She nodded numbly.

He nodded in return. "Thank y-you."

There was a long silence. Jackie wasn't a humble woman, but she had an apology to make.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Wh-what for?" he gasped out.

"I… I wanted you dead. Like, properly dead. I… I've never felt so angry."

He nodded. "I know… M-me too."

"What?"

"I…" he paused, sucking in a breath. "Didn't… d-didn't protect h-her. I'm s-sorry."

"You tried, sweetheart."

"Didn't t-try… enough," he moaned.

"She ran off, you couldn't do anythin' about it."

He swallowed, looking at her. "W-watched them b-beat her… C-couldn't do any… anything. Never... felt s-so _helpless."_

"She's okay. And you're gonna be okay."

"M-maybe I… shouldn't t-take her with me when… when I g-go."

Jackie froze. "What?"

"She… could've… d-died."

Jackie looked at Rose, fast asleep next to him. There was nothing she wanted more in the world than for Rose to come back home. She _could _agree with him. Get him to go and leave her beautiful daughter here with her.

But she couldn't do that. Not to Rose.

"... No," she finally said, and couldn't quite believe what she was about to say. "Take 'er with you. You belong together."

He looked at her, confused. "What?"

"You need her and she needs you. She's so… happy with you, Doctor."

"But she… sh-she might d-die."

"I don't think she cares about that." Jackie leaned forward and took his hand. "She cares about you, like you care about 'er. She's so much stronger now. She can't come back 'ere, not to this life, not after what you've done together. Don't take 'er away from that, please. She loves it. She loves you."

He sighed and finally nodded, before sucking in a breath and as a consequence suddenly began to cough badly. Jackie saw flecks on red on his hands where he'd shielded the cough.

"Is it your lungs?"

He nodded. "Aiming f-for my h-hearts, but… thought I w-was human. Missed h-hearts, caught l-lung… instead."

"You're gonna be okay?"

He nodded. "Can s-survive until… g-get to Tard-dis."

"What can I do, sweetheart?"

"Just… J-just look after her," he said, inclining his head to Rose.

She nodded. "Of course I will, love. And I'll look after you too. 'Bout time someone took care of you."

He smiled briefly.

"Now go to sleep," she ordered. "I'll look after you."

He nodded, closed his eyes, and quickly fell asleep. Jackie was still holding his hand, and she didn't let go for at least a couple of hours.

**The End**


End file.
